Sunday, April 25, 2010

Day with Aunt Hettie - Gum Neck, Outer Banks, NC















April 25th - Sunday rainy last pm, cloudy today with a gentle breeze - a bit humid

Lou and I were up and ready for church which started at 1 0:35 am. The church is on the base here and another good speaker. The service was based on the Lutheran service and we did have communion this morning. The only bad part was, I have caught cold and can't talk out loud and they sang all songs that I like and I couldn't make a sound.

After church we came home and changed our clothes and Lou wanted to go shopping, so we spent the afternoon in the stores that he enjoys. The first stop was Ollie's and that is always good for new books. I found Jimmy Carter's new book which pleased me and several of my Christian authors that I enjoy. Found a wonderful book of The Footsteps of Paul and want to give that to Aunt Hettie, I had such a good conversation with her yesterday on of Bible and her studies throughout the years, I just know she will love this book, and it has many beautiful pictures that will bring the Holy Land to life for her.

Our next step was to Applebee's and Lou got to enjoy his favorite steak and I had a delightful chicken salad and we split a lava cake and ice cream for dessert After our tummies were full, we decided we needed to walk, so went to Walmart and we sure did walk. As I mentioned before we are going to do some redecorating in our RV so we made the first step today, we purchased new throw rugs to put throughout the RV, we chose a deep burgundy and we were very pleased with our purchases. That is the first step, and will finish our theme after we return home. We are going to do a Florida theme and that will be fun, as we both enjoy the shells and such. Lou's favorite color is blue so will get sheets that are blue and carry that color through to the bathroom as well.

Yesterday, we picked up Aunt Hettie at the Assisted Care Home in Elizabeth City and drove to Gum Neck, where she was raised, it was so interesting listening to she and Lou talk about what used to be and what is there now, what stories she had to tell. I was amazed at the huge fields of potatoes that were growing, and the farmers were all busy as work tilling the ground to plant corn, what I wouldn't have given to sat upon one of the seats of the huge tractors and gone across the field once. Some different from the fields we tended in northern PA. We went to a wildlife preserve and she got to see many birds, turtles and such, she kept saying, "Kathy get a picture of that". So I want to do up a picture album when we get home and send it to her.

We stopped at The Country Feed House for lunch and we all enjoyed sitting and awaiting our lunch, as the walls were decorated with old fashioned farm tools and we all talked about how we used each of the tools and discovered we could name all of them and what they were used for.
We all ordered old fashioned hamburgers and that is exactly what we got, not the frozen patties, but fresh meat hand pressed served on fresh sour dough bread, with cheese, lettuce and tomato, we all enjoyed our burgers along with some french fries.

After lunch, we were off to points unknown to me, Lou and Aunt Hettie knew where we were going, but they told me it was going to be a surprise and indeed it was, we went to the Outer Banks and that came with mixed joy, as my granddaughter has always wanted to go their with her father's family and when she was asked to go, my deceased husband was bad, and she hesitated in going and he told her to go and have a good time. She got about three hours away from home and he kept asking for her and finally said he wanted her with him, so our grandson, Shawn went after her and brought her back home to her Pa. We all expected he would die that evening, but he hung on for a little longer, and Michelle gave up her vacation at the Outer Banks for her Pa and I know she did it very willingly. I didn't get out to walk to the beach, couldn't bring myself to do that, but did take several pictures for her.

We then went on to Kitty Hawk and I did have to get out and see that, it was very interesting and similar to what the kids and I had seen in Dayton, Ohio, but this was the actual spot in which the Wright Brothers flew their plane. Lou has been wonderful showing me all the things that he thinks I would enjoy and this certainly has been a winter to remember and cherish for both of us.

We delivered Aunt Hettie back to her home with what she said were good feelings and she was so thankful to us f or taking the time to take her and spend time with her. We left her with a promise to stop back next year on our way home from Florida.

Lou and I arrived back at the RV with Estee and we were all tired but fulfilled with a good day of memories for all of us. Aunt Hettie loved Estee and remembered her from October and she really looked out for her all the time we were riding.

Tomorrow we are setting out for the journey back north. We are to meet friends for lunch on our way out of North Carolina and will meet other friends in Virginia tomorrow night. Lou talked with one of our friends in PA tonight and he is anxious for us to return and Lou told him he would call him the minute he hit Catlin Hollow.

Lou and I were delighted to hear that kids on both of our sides of the family have taken care of our lawns, so that will be one job we won't have to tackle the minute we get home. I know Lou is anxious to get our garden rototilled and some things into the ground, so that will probably be number one and I have the landscaper coming to get my yard ready for summer, a lot of things were neglected last year that will need to be done this spring and summer,so sounds like we will be busy once again. Lou wants to enlarge the garden this year, so will let him do his thing and we will both enjoy working together in it.

If all goes as we plan, we should arrive in PA on Wednesday.




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